Waste compressor



Dec. 19, 1967 a. G. HOWARD 3,

WASTE COMPRESSOR Filed Aug. 18, 1966 BILLY 6. HOWARD I INVENTOR.

. AT TQBLIE Y United States Patent 3,358,590 WASTE COMPRESSOR Billy G. Howard, Arlington, Tex., assignor of one-half to Clyde R. Ashworth, Arlington, Tex. Filed Aug. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 573,245 3 Claims. (Cl. 100-418) This invention relates to waste disposal and has reference to a compressor unit for use in restaurants, hotels, and other places having large quantities of garbage and compressible waste. The present unit takes the place of ordinary cans and containers for the accumulation of Waste before actual disposal.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a waste compressor for the described purpose to reduce the number of cans and containers otherwise used during a given period of time.

Another object of the invention is to provide a waste compressor for the convenient handling of waste material.

A particular object is to provide a positive action trap door in a compression chamber of the device, together with means transferring compressed waste from the compression chamber to a receiving chamber.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a broken perspective view of a waste compressor and container therein according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a broken horizontal sectional view of the upper portion of the waste compressor. The retracted position of the compressor blade is shown by means of dotted lines.

FIGURE 3 is a broken vertical sectional view of the upper front portion of the unit and showing the referred to trap door and its operating means.

The form of the invention shown includes a rectangular cabinet having a floor 11, side walls 12, a rear wall 13, a front wall 14 and a top wall 15. A door 16 in the lower portion of the front wall 14 is of suflicient size to receive an open top rectangular container 17, the width of which extends almost from side wall 12 to side wall 12 of the cabinet 10. There are rollers 18 on the bottom of the container 17 and there is a handle 19 on the front of the container.

Rigidly secured to the lower surface of the top wall 15, there is a rectangular compression chamber 20 having a front wall 21, side walls 22, a rear wall 23 and a bottom 24. The rear wall 23 is lower than the side walls 22 to accommodate a horizontal telescoping hydraulic cylinder 25, the small end of which is secured to the rear wall 13 of the cabinet 10. On the large end of the cylinder 24, and within the chamber 20, there is a vertical pusher blade 26 extending from side to side and from top to bottom of the chamber.

In the forward end of the compression chamber 20, and transversely of the bottom 24, there is a trap door 27 pivotally mounted on hinges 28 on the lower edges of the front wall 21.

A feature of the invention has to do with a horizontal vertically movable blade 29 above the trap door 27. The forward upper ends of the side walls 22 of the compression chamber 20 are cut away at 30 to accomodate cars 31 on the end of the horizontal blade 29. Vertical hydraulic cylinders 32 are mounted at their lower ends on brackets 33 on the inner surfaces of the side walls 12 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 of the cabinet 10, and piston rods 34 extend upwardly from the cylinders and connect with the blade ears 31. The ends of the trap door 27 near the edge opposite the hinges 28 are provided with links 35 which connect with corresponding ends of the horizontal blade 29. The lower ends of the links 35 are pivotally connected with the trap door 27 by pins 36, whereas the upper ends of the links have elongate slots 37 which receive pins 38 in the ends of the horizontal blade 29. Preferably, the extending edge of the trap door 27 is offset so as to overlap the forward edge of the bottom 24 of the compression chamber 20.

Other details shown include: a transverse wall 39 coplanar with the rear compression chamber wall 23, behind which a motor and pump unit 40 and reservoir 41 are located, a door 42 in the top wall 15 of the cabinet 10, and limit switches 43 and 44 at the end of travel of the vertical pusher blade 26. The wiring of limit switches, such as 43 and 44, with pumping units, such as 40, 41, with hydraulic cylinders, such as 25, 32, 32, and the required hydraulic connections (not shown) are well known to the art and are not, therefore, herein described.

In operation, the vertical pusher blade 26 is normally in its retracted position, at which time the door 42 of the container 10 is opened to deposit waste in the compression chamber 20. After the chamber 20 is full, or nearly full, thhe horizontal hydraulic cylinder 25 is actuated to cause the vertical pusher blade 26 to move forwardly. Such action compresses the waste against the forward chamber wall 21. The horizontal blade 29 is then moved downwardly, such as by reason of contact of the vertical blade 26 with the second referred to limit switch 44, and by reason of the resulting action of the links 35, the trap door 27 is opened. The compacted waste then falls into the container 17 and after the container is full, or nearly full, it is rolled to a waste pickup station or is otherwise disposed of. When the vertical blade 26 reaches the forward end of its travel it contacts the second referred to limit switch 44, as mentioned, and causes the hydraulic cylinder 25 to reverse its action. When the cylinder 25 is retracted the blade 26 contacts the first referred to limit switch 43 and resets the cylinder. The forward movement of the cylinder 25 and vertical blade 26 is initiated by a push button switch 45.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction herein shown and described, but may be made in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A waste compressor comprised of a cabinet having a door in the top thereof, a container removably received in said cabinet, a rectangular compression chamber in said cabinet beneath said door and above said container, a vertical pusher blade transversely mounted in said compression chamber, means horizontally reciprocating said vertical pusher blade between a front and a back wall of said chamber, a trap door in the bottom of said compression chamber adjacent the front wall thereof, means opening and closing said trap door, said last named means including a horizontal blade above said trap door, and means vertically moving said horizontal blade.

2. A waste compressor as defined in claim 1 and wherein said means opening and closing said trap door includes at least one link connected between said trap door and said horizontal blade.

3. A waste compressor as defined in claim 1 and References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 729,149 5/1903 Fenn 100--218 1,690,894 11/1928 Dutzmann 100218 4 Perlberg 100232 Coon et a1. 100-218 Walsh et aL 1007-153 Nelson 100-53 Pyles 100-218 Welsh 100-53 Stangl 100--218 XR BILLY J. WILHITE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WASTE COMPRESSOR COMPRISED OF A CABINET HAVING A DOOR IN THE TOP THEREOF, A CONTAINER REMOVABLY RECEIVED IN SAID CABINET, A RECTANGULAR COMPRESSION CHAMBER IN SAID CABINET BENEATH SAID DOOR AND ABOVE SAID CONTAINER, A VERTICAL PUSHER BLADE TRANSVERSELY MOUNTED IN SAID COMPRESSION CHAMBER, MEANS HORIZONTALLY RECIPROCATING SAID VERTICAL PUSHER BLADE BETWEEN A FRONT AND A BACK WALL OF SAID CHAMBER, A TRAP DOOR IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID COMPRES- 